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(2) Central Rockets (7-1) vs. (4) Northwestern Bulls (5-1)
Friday at Traz Powell Stadium, 7:30 p.m.
Go back in the annals and you will see some of the best football players to ever do it in South Florida played in this rivalry.
While Northwestern was the king of this rivalry – and Miami-Dade County as a whole – for the longest time, over the course of the past nine years, Central completely turned the tables.
From the second round of the 2009 Class 6A playoffs when the Rockets topped Teddy Bridgewater and the Bulls to the 2015 season, Central dominated this rivalry and earned nine straight victories.
It wasn’t until this past season that the Bulls snapped the streak in a 45-44 overtime instant classic win over the Rockets – also knocking their rivals out of playoff contention that year.
There should be new intrigue around this year’s matchup because there’s no glaring advantage that one has over the other. Both squads are loaded with talent and the game will ultimately come down to a couple intangible factors.
Going back to the Bulls win over Carol City this past week, I saw a Northwestern team that looked much better on offense that it had in the previous weeks. Folks will recall, I admonished Northwestern’s coaching staff for being overly reliant on quarterback Chatarius “Tutu” Atwell and not using the other weapons that they have.
Against the Chiefs, I saw them get the ball out of Atwell’s hands faster through the passing game while also making a commitment to run the ball with their collection of backs – Davonne “Bo” Kendrick, Jacquez Stuart and Corey Hammett.
Progressing that forward to this week’s matchup against Central, the Bulls would be best served to try to use their receivers to make plays in space against a Rockets secondary that has been solid but is far from impenetrable.
Central can rush the passer with the best of them, chiefly because of the way the coaching staff uses standout Robert Hicks. They move Hicks around – either standing him up or down on the line – and keep opposing lines guessing on where he’ll be coming from when he rushes.
The Rockets offense has looked good recently. Granted, it was against lower competition the past two weeks – but points are points.
I have no doubt that Central’s offense – with the running back stable of “Jimmy” James Cook, Amari Daniels, Lexington Joseph, Kijon Owens and Willie Davis – will be the toughest test that the Northwestern defense has faced up to this point. Even though the Bulls had a tough time against IMG Academy, that was more a product of its offense not being productive.
Where I think this game tips is the injury to Bulls star junior defensive end Samuel Brooks Jr. Brooks sustained a knee injury (torn ACL & MCL) during the fourth quarter of the team’s win last week and will miss the rest of the season – playoffs included.
Losing Brooks will be a significant blow to the Bulls’ defense. Yes, they have plenty other very good players – I really like defensive lineman Calijah Kancey and linebacker Marlon Pelote and defensive back Divaad Wilson – but no matter what they say or how they feel, losing Brooks is huge.
Ultimately, I think Central’s coaching staff will develop a game plan that corrals “Tutu” enough and I think the Rockets will find enough running room to come out with a close victory.
Bald Prediction = Central wins 21-19
